From K-pop to K-glow: lasers, facial firming drive South Korea’s new tourism wave

Just over 2 million foreigners visited South Korea last year for medical treatment, nearly double the 2024 figure of 1.17 million, the health ministry said in April.

Mexican Maria Zu first visited Seoul eight ​years ago to tour the cafes and parks of the South Korean capital, but spent a key part of her latest ‌trip in April in skincare clinics, under the gaze of doctors wielding laser wands and injection needles.